Dominic Raiola
Encyclopedia
Dominic Raiola is an American football
center
with the Detroit Lions
; his younger brother, Donovan Raiola
, plays center for the Washington Redskins
.
and attended Saint Louis School
. Their football team went undefeated in his last three years at the school; in 1996, his senior year, the team won its 11th straight Prep Bowl
. That same year, St. Louis High was rated as the 15th best team in the US
.
offensive lineman to start a game for the Cornhuskers since Rob Zatechka
in 1991
. In 1999
, he became the first sophomore center for the team since Dave Rimington
to participate in postseason play and set a school record for knockdowns, which he bettered in 2000
. He was selected as an All-America
n in 2000.
in the second round. He started to get game time as a replacement center in the latter half of the season in a game against the San Francisco 49ers
in November
; it was his first game in that position. He was selected as a member of Pro Football Weekly's
All-Rookie squad during that season.
In 2002
, Raiola started all 16 games of the season, winning the Chuck Hughes
Most Improved Player award. He was a key member of the offensive line which allowed only 20 quarterback sack
s for the season, the lowest in the NFL and then a franchise record. Raiola protected both quarterback
Joey Harrington
and running back
James Stewart
.
In 2003, Raiola was a sixteen-game starter and a key part of the offensive line in 2003
During that season, the offensive line allowed just 11 sacks, a new record for the franchise. He also played more special teams, and became the long snapper
when Bradford Banta
broke his clavicle
against the San Diego Chargers
.
In 2004
, Raiola started at center in all 16 games. The Lions' offensive line helped the team's rushing attack to be ranked second for the seven last games of the season. He again became responsible for long snapping after Jody Littleton
incurred a hamstring
injury against the Washington Redskins
in the middle of November. His reliability and strong performance led to the Lions offering him a five-year contract extension in March 2005.
On December 9, 2008, he was fined $7,500 by the Lions organization after he made an obscene gesture towards heckling Lions fans after Detroit fell to 0-13 with a 20-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings
at Ford Field
. The money will be donated to a local charity.
On June 26, 2009 the Lions signed Raiola to a four-year, $20 million extension through 2013. The deal includes $9 million in guarantees.
On November 1, 2009, he had another small run in with fans who were heckling rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford. Raiola had a few choice words to some fans in the stands as he defended his teammate from their jeers.
Following the 2009 season, members of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association and the Detroit chapter of the Pro Football Writers Association named Raiola 2009 Detroit Lions Good Guy or media-friendly award winner.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
with the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
; his younger brother, Donovan Raiola
Donovan Raiola
Donovan Raiola is an American football center for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Wisconsin. He played high school football at Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu, HawaiiRaiola...
, plays center for the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
.
High school career
Raiola was born in Honolulu, HawaiiHonolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
and attended Saint Louis School
Saint Louis School
Saint Louis School, located in the town of Kaimuki in Honolulu, Hawaii, is a historic Roman Catholic college preparatory school for boys founded in 1846 to serve the needs of early Hawaiian Catholics in the former Kingdom of Hawaii...
. Their football team went undefeated in his last three years at the school; in 1996, his senior year, the team won its 11th straight Prep Bowl
HHSAA State Football Championship/Prep Bowl
* Denotes overtime gameDIVISION I STATE CHAMPION: KS-OahuRUNNER-UP: Kahuku-Division II:* Denotes overtime gameDIVISION II STATE CHAMPION: IolaniRUNNER-UP: Kauai-Division I:* Denotes overtime game...
. That same year, St. Louis High was rated as the 15th best team in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
College career
He attended the University of Nebraska. In his first year, he became the first freshmanFreshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
offensive lineman to start a game for the Cornhuskers since Rob Zatechka
Rob Zatechka
Robert Brett Zatechka is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the New York Giants. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1995 NFL Draft out of the University of Nebraska. In college, he won both the Draddy Trophy and a Walter Byers Scholarship...
in 1991
1991 in sports
1991 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Marc Girardelli, Luxembourg** Women's overall season champion: Petra Kronberger, Austria-American football:...
. In 1999
1999 in sports
1999 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Lasse Kjus, Norway** Women's overall season champion: Alexandra Meissnitzer, Austria-American football:...
, he became the first sophomore center for the team since Dave Rimington
Dave Rimington
Dave Brian Rimington is a former American football center. He is considered by many to be the greatest center in the history of college football.-College career:...
to participate in postseason play and set a school record for knockdowns, which he bettered in 2000
2000 in sports
2000 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Hermann Maier, Austria** Women's overall season champion: Renate Götschl, Austria-American football:...
. He was selected as an All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n in 2000.
Detroit Lions
Raiola was drafted by the Lions in the 2001 NFL Draft2001 NFL Draft
The 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
in the second round. He started to get game time as a replacement center in the latter half of the season in a game against the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
in November
November 2001
November 2001: January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December-----Events:* November – The Doha Declaration slightly relaxes the grip of international intellectual property....
; it was his first game in that position. He was selected as a member of Pro Football Weekly's
Pro Football Weekly
Pro Football Weekly is an American sports magazine, founded in 1967, that covers the National Football League...
All-Rookie squad during that season.
In 2002
2002 NFL season
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
, Raiola started all 16 games of the season, winning the Chuck Hughes
Chuck Hughes
Charles Frederick "Chuck" Hughes was an American football wide receiver in the National Football League from 1967 to 1971. He is, to date, the only NFL player to die on the field during a game.-Early years:...
Most Improved Player award. He was a key member of the offensive line which allowed only 20 quarterback sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
s for the season, the lowest in the NFL and then a franchise record. Raiola protected both quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Joey Harrington
Joey Harrington
John Joseph "Joey" Harrington, Jr. is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions third overall in the 2002 NFL Draft, where he played for most of his professional career. He ranks third all-time in Detroit history in pass completions, with 986...
and running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
James Stewart
James Stewart (football player)
James Ottis Stewart known as "Little Man," was a running back at his high school of Morristown West High School. Then went to college and, is a former professional American football running back who was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1st round of the 1995 NFL Draft. A 6'1",...
.
In 2003, Raiola was a sixteen-game starter and a key part of the offensive line in 2003
2003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
During that season, the offensive line allowed just 11 sacks, a new record for the franchise. He also played more special teams, and became the long snapper
Long snapper
In American football and Canadian football, the term long snapper refers to a player who is a specialized center during punts, field goals, and extra point attempts. His job is to snap the ball as quickly and accurately as possible....
when Bradford Banta
Bradford Banta
Dennis Bradford Banta, is a retired American football tight end and long snapper in the National Football League.-Professional career:...
broke his clavicle
Clavicle
In human anatomy, the clavicle or collar bone is a long bone of short length that serves as a strut between the scapula and the sternum. It is the only long bone in body that lies horizontally...
against the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
In 2004
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
, Raiola started at center in all 16 games. The Lions' offensive line helped the team's rushing attack to be ranked second for the seven last games of the season. He again became responsible for long snapping after Jody Littleton
Jody Littleton
Jody Littleton is a former American football long snapper of the National Football League. He played for the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and Cleveland Browns during his NFL career. He played college football at Baylor.-NFL career:Littleton was primarily used to long snap in the NFL...
incurred a hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
injury against the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
in the middle of November. His reliability and strong performance led to the Lions offering him a five-year contract extension in March 2005.
On December 9, 2008, he was fined $7,500 by the Lions organization after he made an obscene gesture towards heckling Lions fans after Detroit fell to 0-13 with a 20-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
at Ford Field
Ford Field
Ford Field is an indoor American football stadium located in Detroit, Michigan, USA, that is the current home field of the NFL's Detroit Lions. It is owned by the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium Authority. It regularly seats 65,000, though it is expandable up to 70,000 for football and 80,000 for...
. The money will be donated to a local charity.
On June 26, 2009 the Lions signed Raiola to a four-year, $20 million extension through 2013. The deal includes $9 million in guarantees.
On November 1, 2009, he had another small run in with fans who were heckling rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford. Raiola had a few choice words to some fans in the stands as he defended his teammate from their jeers.
Following the 2009 season, members of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association and the Detroit chapter of the Pro Football Writers Association named Raiola 2009 Detroit Lions Good Guy or media-friendly award winner.